On Monday, the Chicago Cubs appointed Craig Counsell as manager after dismissing David Ross. A record-breaking five-year, $40 million contract enticed the longstanding Milwaukee Brewers manager to Chicago, according to people involved with the negotiations who spoke with ESPN.
The baseball community, which had assumed Counsell would either be hired by the New York Mets or return to Milwaukee, was taken aback by the Cubs’ announcement of the movements on Monday afternoon. Tom Ricketts, the owner of the Cubs, had openly complimented Ross on October 2, stating, “He’s our guy.”
The Cubs showed their interest in Counsell as soon as his Brewers contract expired on October 31st, and they made an offer that completely upended the existing managers’ pay structure. Terry Francona of the Cleveland Guardians set the previous record for the highest average yearly value of a manager, at $4.5 million.
During his free agency, Counsell, a 16-year veteran of the Major League Baseball Players Association, pushed for higher managerial salaries. The Cubs complied, more than doubling Counsell’s previous salary of $3.5 million and putting him in a position previously held by Joe Torre of the New York Yankees.
This action brought up memories of 2014, when Chicago dismissed manager Rick Renteria midway through his tenure and brought in Joe Maddon, who guided the club to a World Series triumph two years later after 108 seasons without a championship.
After the 2019 season, Chicago dismissed Maddon and went to Ross, who had retired from the game after playing a part in the Cubs’ 2016 World Series victory. In the 2020 season that was cut short by COVID-19, Ross, a first-time manager, guided the Cubs to the National League Central championship. After two disappointing seasons that followed the Cubs’ trade of key players from their championship run, they bounced back in 2023, finishing 83-79 but missing out on a postseason spot due to a late-season slump.
The addition of Counsell instills a sense of urgency in a squad hoping to make the playoffs. Counsell led the Brewers to the playoffs five times in the last six years, with a division-winning record of 92-70 this season. He has won three NL Central crowns in his nine years as manager.
Counsell, a native of Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin, who grew up 15 minutes from the Brewers stadium, holds the team record for both the most victories (707), as well as the most postseason victories (7). The club went 1-8 in the playoffs after failing to duplicate their 2018 NL Championship Series run to Game 7.
Counsell was an attractive option for any club looking for a new manager because of his success with a low-payroll team like the Brewers and the respect it has brought him. For the bulk of Counsell’s time in Milwaukee, the baseball operations of the Mets were overseen by David Stearns, the team’s recently appointed president of baseball operations, therefore he had a longstanding connection to them. Instead, sources tell ESPN that the Mets brought in Carlos Mendoza, a former Yankees bench coach, to take over for the fired Buck Showalter. On Monday, the Guardians, who had previously shown interest in Mendoza, selected two-time All-Star catcher Stephen Vogt to take over for retiring Francona.
Baseball observers viewed the Cubs’ acquisition of Counsell as a cunning move that fits with their plans to spend in free agency and bolster a team that advanced significantly in 2023 with the addition of outfielder Cody Bellinger, who tendered a qualifying offer on Monday and opted out of his contract, and Gold Glove shortstop Dansby Swanson.
One of the greatest farm systems in baseball is said to exist in Chicago, where outfielders Kevin Alcantara and Owen Caissie are vying for major league play, center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong, and right-handers Cade Horton and Ben Brown are ready to contribute to the 2024 squad. Chicago has three Gold Glovers in Swanson, second baseman Nico Hoerner, and left fielder Ian Happ, all of whom have contracts until at least 2026. The team also returns pitchers Justin Steele and Kyle Hendricks, whose $16.5 million club option was exercised.
With shortstop Willy Adames and ace Corbin Burnes scheduled to reach free agency after 2024, the Brewers’ future is a little more murky. However, their farm system, which has regularly produced big league players, may see a wave of promotions among their best prospects. One of the top players in the lower leagues, outfielder Jackson Chourio, may make his debut soon after turning twenty. Tyler Black, a third baseman, might take over after the Brewers utilized seven players in that spot in the previous campaign. Jacob Misiorowski, a right-hander who may possess the strongest raw talent in the minor leagues, advanced to Double-A in 2023 and may see a similar rise in 2024.
The majority of the Brewers’ roster from the previous campaign will be back, with the exception of left-hander Wade Miley, who chose not to renew his contract for the next season, and co-ace Brandon Woodruff, who is anticipated to miss the most of 2024 due to shoulder surgery.
Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer issued the following statement: “We had to make the tough choice today to fire David Ross as our big league manager. We would like to thank David on behalf of the Cubs organization for his contributions to our team, both on and off the field. David consistently shown his capacity to lead, first as a player and then as a manager. Generations to come will feel David’s legacy in Chicago, and he will have an even greater influence on our organization than the legends who came before him.”
Next week, Hoyer added, Counsell will be properly presented at Wrigley.
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